Valiant Hearts : The Great War is the story of 4 crossed destinies and a broken love in a world torn apart. Dive into a 2D animated comic book adventure, mixing exploration, action and puzzles. Lost in the middle of the trenches, play as each of the 4 strangers, relive the War and help a young German soldier find his love.

This is the story of crossed destinies and a broken love in a world torn apart. All of them will try to survive the horror of the trenches following their faithful canine companion.
In Valiant Hearts, the lives of all these characters are inextricably drawn together over the course of the game. Friendship, love, sacrifice and tragedy befall each one as they help each other to retain their humanity against the horrors of war.

Key Features

An animated comic book adventure

From the green forests of the French countryside, to dank trenches and snowy fields, go back through history in this emotional adventure game delivered with a unique tone and art style.

A mix of exploration, action and puzzles

Move into action and help your heroes survive the Great War by solving puzzles or sneaking through enemy lines… live a touching and comical adventure.

Follow the stories of these Valiant Hearts...

Lost in the middle of the trenches, play each of these characters and help a young German soldier find his love!

… And their faithful canine companion

With the help of your trusty companion’s canine sense of smell, send him through barbed-wire obstacles and shell holes to solve puzzles or avoid enemies… Rely on him: this dog will be your best friend!

Relive the Great War

This fictitious story takes you back to famous WW1 locations, like Reims or Montfaucon, revisiting historical battles on the Western Front, such as the Battle of the Marne or the Battle of the Somme!

Powered by UbiArt Framework

Valiant Hearts makes the most of the UbiArt Framework and its motto “Bringing Art to Life”. This powerful engine provides the ability to transfer creative concepts and bring them to life in video games.

A team of senior artists at Ubisoft Montpellier

Small is beautiful: a small but highly talented team, including the Audio and Art Directors of games such as Beyond Good & Evil and Peter Jackson’s King Kong, and key level designers on Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends.

I reccommend buying this game for its beautiful story and amazing soundtrack. The puzzles are quite intelligent and really interesting to solve. I would recommend getting a box of tissues and an empty bucket alongside with the game. You'll cry... It's okay to cry.

I bought this game expecting it to be a quick play with a focus on an artistic art style that only an art snob would like. I couldn't have been more wrong.The game will last you about 5-6 hours, which is well worth the normal $15 that this game goes for. If you see this on sale for any less, buy it instantly.The game is simple to learn, with challenges that will stretch your brain, but once you figure them out you'll think "My god, I'm an idiot".The story of this game is the main thing that will keep you playing this game. You easily get attatched to the charecters. They will make you laugh, cry, worry, smile, and laugh out loud. There are plenty of plot twists to keep things interesting, but not so many that the story is hard to follow.The game displays plenty of historical facts about the time period, and place, that you are playing in the game. While you are motly never directly tied to the events except for a few level designs, it was refreshing to get some background information about the world, and the war, while you go through it.

TL;DR version+great story+great characters and development+simple, yet challenging missions+realitvely cheap for what you're getting out of it+The BEST intergration with music that I have ever seen in a video game

-first time I've cried over a video game since Mass Effect 3's revamped endings

The story is based on the first world war told by an awesome voice acting storyteller. You gonna play alot of different characters in the game but all of them are well connected with the main story. Basically the story is about Karl finding a way back to his family after he got separated and deported to serve the german army. To me the game tells and teach much more than that Valiant Hearts made me realize once more how important family and true friends are. It also shows how unnecessary war is you are just a fighting slave fighting for other people interests, killing people who never wanted any war, people like yourself, people you would probably consider as friendly or even your friend. Beside from that the game is a little history lesson you can find a lot of facts happend during the first world war. The gameplay is quit simple for a puzzle adventure game at the same time well conceived. It force you to think without being unfair or unnecessary hard. For myself I can say the gameplay was entertaining from beginning to end. Who ever was responsible for the design of the game made a great job the levels are lovely created. One more point I wanna mention is the wonderful music fits perfectly to the atmosphare. You gonna be golden with Valiant Hearts: The Great War™ if you looking for a game with a good story and fun gameplay.

Valiant Hearts is a puzzle-platforming game with a rather unique subject matter: World War I. Instead of shooting waves of enemies or commanding massive faceless armies as is the usual in most war games, Valiant Hearts instead decides to focus on the lives of several characters with WWI merely serving as the backdrop that changes their lives forever. The main cast of characters are Emile, a Frenchman getting on in his years who is conscripted into service despite his age; Karl, a German living in France who is married to Emile's daughter Marie; Freddie, an African American Creole who enlisted in the French military to avenge a loved one; Anna, a Belgian field medic who's father designs weapons for the Germans; and Marie, the daughter of Emile and wife of Karl who struggles to maintain her family farm as the war escalates.

This game is first and foremost about its story. Not just the written story per se; in fact there is very little spoken dialogue that isn't from the interlevel narrations and most of the in game diction is handled through speech bubbes with cartoonish graphics inside them along with body gestures. Rather, this game is about story in a much deeper and meaningful way, its about how these characters as well as the minor and even nameless NPCs are shaped and affected by the terrible war around them. It says so much with very little, letting the emotions and feelings of the situation grab ahold of you and fill it in itself. There's no egregious monologues or exposition or self-indulgent angst; just pure humanity in all of its forms, and it touches you in a very personal way because you really feel for what these characters are going through.

Now the game itself, as a game, is nothing too terrilbly spectacular: it is about a 10 or so hour game given or take a few more for finding all of the hidden items (it can't be an Ubisoft game without a hundred odd pickups, could it?) with basic sidescrolling and controls. You move left and right, can climb over ledges and sneak behind cover when permitted, perform context specific actions as well as character specific ones (such as using Emile's shovel to dig through tunnels), all while solving modest item based puzzles where you pull levels and turn wheels and blow up walls or unlock doors. It is honestly nothing groundbreaking or new, and the puzzle solving is broken up with a handful of obstacle course style driving levels (which are my personal favorite) and the occasional quicktime event. Nothing about the gameplay is truly spectacular, but it is adequate enough to serve its purpose and keep you interested in progressing.

However, while the gameplay might be standard fare, everything else does truly stand out. Along with the story, the game has a beautifully composed original soundtrack, as well as a few classical bits too (Brahms's Hungarian Dance no. 5, the French Cancan, Flight of the Bumblebee, and Night on Bald Mountain all play during the various driving segments). The art direction is simplistic and charming, but deceptively dark and grim when it needs to be (and given the subject matter, that is often). Backgrounds are beautifully illustrated and detailed, and character animations are smooth and well made. There are collectibles as said before, over 100 items spread throughout most of the game's 20+ levels which are divided into four chapters. These items are all historically researched and finding them adds an entry to the in-game "Wiki" describing what it is, what it was for, and why it came to be during WWI. There is also more history to be found every level with short articles about what is relevent to the current level: be it a battlefield history, an elaboration on colonial army units, or chemical warfare. The game goes the extra mile to really help you feel what it was like to live during this time and in turn that helps you better associate with the characters in the story.

Ultimately, Valiant Hearts is a simplistic and unassuming puzzle sidescroller that has a LOT of heart and soul in it. Beyond the so-so gameplay is a gripping and upsetting tale of one the 20th century's greatest catastrophes, uncensored and unabashed in a beautiful package that serves to keep the past alive and help us never forget the tragedies that were had. Forgive the underwhelming gameplay and let everything else engross you and I'm sure you'll love it as much as I have. It is a work of art.

The game is by Ubisoft, so you'll have to have a Uplay account in order to play the game. A bit of a pain, but worth it if you love a good story!

The screen resolution is adjustable anywhere from 640x480 through 1980x1020, and you can play Windowed if you wish. We have separate sliders for sound effects, music, and brightness, and if you want subtitles, they are NOT the default. Luckily you can adjust the settings at any time. If you're using the keyboard you can rebind the keys to whatever you wish, but the controller buttons are not adjustable. Speaking of which, we have full-controller support on this title.

The game is rich in history, though dosed out in segments small enough to keep one from getting overwhelmed (or bored ^_~ ) if not a history buff. These tidbits are easily accessible, and while it's not required reading, it surely enriches the story! In addition to the facts that are unlocked as you play, there are 100 collectibles, and each has its own story to tell. We also have a diary with separate entries, which I didn't realize until later on in the game. The diary, like the hints, is accessible through the game menu (hit Esc.)

Speaking of hints, there are multiple modes of play -- regular and veteran. I believe you have to complete regular mode before you can access veteran mode, however. Hints, if you wish to use them, are tiered, and give you a picture of one of the steps you'll need to take to progress in the game.

We play as multiple characters, giving us varied views of the war and its toll. These characters' stories are beautifully weaved together in a touching story. The gameplay is a combination of point-and-click, puzzles, light platforming, and arcade-like action scenes. Anyone looking for a thrilling ride, rife with action and glory might want to look elsewhere, as the compelling story is the driving force behind this game, and it's the story that will keep bringing you back to the game.

The narrator will explain things as we transition, and his voice works beautifully with the story. Our characters' voices, on the other hand, are intentionally garbled -- you don't actually need to understand what they're saying. It may sound strange, but it really does work well. Any person you see who has ' . . . ' over their heads means you need to "talk" to them. You will see what they want or need via images in speech bubbles. It's not terribly hard to figure out what you're supposed to be doing -- most of the time when I was stuck it was because I had missed seeing an exit or some such. :p

I highly highly recommend this game to anyone who loves a good story, with one caveat: Some of the action scenes need to have quick reactions, and I know that some of my friends have issues with this kind of thing. Let me give you an example. This will not be a spoiler as long as you don't watch the whole video -- Just watch the first ten seconds or so:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saKbYGB7JwA

I had to redo the above-referenced kind of scene more than once, but that is not the part of the game I'm worried about. There are sequences where you have to press buttons quickly in succession, switching around between buttons, and sometimes hitting more than once button at a time. I don't know how well I would have done if I'd been on the keyboard instead of a controller! I can't give you a visual of what I'm talking about without potentially spoiling some of the story, just be warned!

I finished the game in somewhere between four and five hours -- not really certain since I got interrupted a few times. Remember those collectibles I mentioned at the beginning of the review? It turns out that you can replay any part of the game you wish in order to gather all of the collectibles! Go to the Chapters & Collection section of the main menu, and you will be able to see how many items you gathered, and how many you missed for each section. Personally I think it would be better to go back to get some of these rather than grab them as you play, as sometimes they're sitting out in the open during a time when you could easily get killed! It interrupts the flow of the story a bit to stop and examine these things during the action sequences.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a moving journey that kept me guessing 'til the end, and had me happily learning about the first World War (history is NOT my forte). I really did love playing this game, and recommend checking it out if the above review appeals to you.

Sometimes a game will have a standout moment, the kind that makes you wish so dearly that EVERYONE could be watching or experiencing it right now, the kind that makes you want to point at it and go, "look at how incredible this medium can be at its very best!". Valiant Hearts is a good six-or-so hours which is full of that kind of feeling. The puzzling is fairly light on, and feels slightly repetitive by the end, but the wonderful presentation and execution imbued throughout makes it rise far above any faults that I could possible find with it. This is one of 2014's essential titles.

It is a simple and beautiful puzzle game animated and disguised as a war animated skit. To be honest I've played the game and haven't finished the bit.The music is fantastic and the art is unreal. play this game if you want to experience feel.The Puzzles though was as easy for me as using a toilet but in this game you'll even befriend a mutt.Get this great game today and enjoy your christmas day. Oh and before I forget the game uses Uplay.

Valiant Hearts is touching adventure set during the First World War. It follows characters across the frontlines as they search for family. Puzzles build delicately and are relatively clever by the end of the six hour story. Characters are joined by a well-used dog that can retrieve objects and pull levers, allowing for some nifty solutions. Aside from some unfortunate gamey elements, such as dodging carpet bombs or ridiculous QTEs, this is a tale worth experiencing.

Valiant Hearts is quite simple but moving puzzle game. It's story is placed in first world war, connecting the stories of German Karl, French Emile, Belgian Anna and American Freddie. The story is based on actual letters sent from the war to the peoples families.

The visual style was the first thing that really cought my eye on early E3 trailer, had been waiting the game to release since. The music and sound also added to the great experience. Unfortunately the gameplay is bit lacking. Some action scenes and puzzles feel a bit repetitive, though it doesn't grow to be a big problem because of the games quite short lenght of 5-7 hours.

Also there is a "villain" a German Baron whos character is bit too over the top and caricaturized. So it broke the atmosphere for me a bit. Otherwise the little bits of humour didn't bother me at all.

Overall the game was great experience while played in short bursts. There is also lot to read about events, locations and items of the war for those who want to educate themselves a bit.